visits to St. Giles, you’ll hang.”
“Robert wouldn’t hang me,” Daniel scoffed. But he’d been
thinking the same thing. Robert had always been a knight errant. He wasn’t the
sort to overlook his vigilante activities.
Robert walked in a few moments later. He was looking quite
dapper in a dark-blue jacket and buckskins, not at all what one would expect of
a constable. They hadn’t had a great deal of time to talk last night, but the
truth was Robert was a well-bred gentleman, though a third son. It was rather
unusual for someone of his station to join the constabulary.
“Good morning, Daniel,” he said. He smiled politely at
Simon.
“Good morning, Robert. May I introduce Mr. Simon Gantry?
Simon, this is my old friend Robert Manderley. Even older than you, if you can
believe that.”
“Har har,” Simon said drily. He stood and held his hand out
to Robert. “How do you do, Constable? A pleasure to meet you.” He sat down and
Daniel waved at Robert to do the same. “Daniel was just telling me about your
adventures last night,” Simon continued. “I met the charming Mrs. Ashbury this
morning.”
Daniel had a moment of panic. He hadn’t told Simon about the
cover story they’d made up last night. “Simon hasn’t been here in a while,” he
interjected. “He didn’t know Mrs. Ashbury had come to visit while Harry was
abroad.”
Simon was looking at him queerly, but he gamely took up the
cue. “No, no I didn’t. Haven’t heard from Ashbury in ages, actually.” His smile
was bland.
“I thought I saw you on the street just the other day,”
Robert said with a smile equally as bland. “I live just down the road.”
“Well, two days without me seems like an eternity,” Simon
said dramatically. He smiled again into the silence that followed.
Daniel closed his eyes and silently groaned. He’d forgotten
how astute Robert was. He’d always been observant, and was tenacious when it
came to ferreting out the truth. No wonder he’d become a constable.
“So Mrs. Ashbury just arrived?” he asked.
“Yes,” Daniel quickly answered before Simon could make up
some asinine story. “Last night. Just before the incident.”
“Ah,” Robert said, as if he’d just solved the crime. “They
must have followed her from the coaching inn. She did say she’d taken a
hackney, did she not?”
“Yes,” Daniel agreed slowly. “She did.” His mind was racing
as he tried to remember what else had been said. He hadn’t realized how
discombobulated he’d been by her arrival and the revelation of her identity.
The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur.
“Where did she come from?”
Daniel sat there blinking at Robert for a moment or two. He
didn’t know where she lived. She’d told him. Where was she living a quiet life?
But not really. The coachman. Damn, damn, damn. Orkney? Wales? The Hebrides? If
he’d been alone he’d be pounding his fist to his forehead.
“The country,” Simon interjected smoothly. “She’s not used
to the rough ways of the city.”
“Yes, the country,” Daniel agreed. “Surrey!” he shouted
triumphantly. “She lives in Surrey.”
Simon sighed and gave him a disgusted look. “Yes, of course
she does.” He patted Daniel’s hand and turned to Robert. “You’ll have to
forgive him. He’s still recovering from a head wound.”
“I am?” Daniel asked incredulously.
“He is?” Robert asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “What
happened?”
“You are,” Simon said. “Carriage accident. That’s why he was
so overset at last night’s events.”
“Ah,” Robert said, giving Simon an understanding look. “That
explains why he didn’t jump on the carriage first.”
“I didn’t jump on the carriage because I was too slow, not
too scared,” Daniel protested. “And also because it was a foolhardy and
dangerous thing to do.”
Robert looked shocked. “But Mrs. Ashbury was in mortal
danger. A lady in her condition, and obviously so delicate and
“Robert wouldn’t hang me,” Daniel scoffed. But he’d been
thinking the same thing. Robert had always been a knight errant. He wasn’t the
sort to overlook his vigilante activities.
Robert walked in a few moments later. He was looking quite
dapper in a dark-blue jacket and buckskins, not at all what one would expect of
a constable. They hadn’t had a great deal of time to talk last night, but the
truth was Robert was a well-bred gentleman, though a third son. It was rather
unusual for someone of his station to join the constabulary.
“Good morning, Daniel,” he said. He smiled politely at
Simon.
“Good morning, Robert. May I introduce Mr. Simon Gantry?
Simon, this is my old friend Robert Manderley. Even older than you, if you can
believe that.”
“Har har,” Simon said drily. He stood and held his hand out
to Robert. “How do you do, Constable? A pleasure to meet you.” He sat down and
Daniel waved at Robert to do the same. “Daniel was just telling me about your
adventures last night,” Simon continued. “I met the charming Mrs. Ashbury this
morning.”
Daniel had a moment of panic. He hadn’t told Simon about the
cover story they’d made up last night. “Simon hasn’t been here in a while,” he
interjected. “He didn’t know Mrs. Ashbury had come to visit while Harry was
abroad.”
Simon was looking at him queerly, but he gamely took up the
cue. “No, no I didn’t. Haven’t heard from Ashbury in ages, actually.” His smile
was bland.
“I thought I saw you on the street just the other day,”
Robert said with a smile equally as bland. “I live just down the road.”
“Well, two days without me seems like an eternity,” Simon
said dramatically. He smiled again into the silence that followed.
Daniel closed his eyes and silently groaned. He’d forgotten
how astute Robert was. He’d always been observant, and was tenacious when it
came to ferreting out the truth. No wonder he’d become a constable.
“So Mrs. Ashbury just arrived?” he asked.
“Yes,” Daniel quickly answered before Simon could make up
some asinine story. “Last night. Just before the incident.”
“Ah,” Robert said, as if he’d just solved the crime. “They
must have followed her from the coaching inn. She did say she’d taken a
hackney, did she not?”
“Yes,” Daniel agreed slowly. “She did.” His mind was racing
as he tried to remember what else had been said. He hadn’t realized how
discombobulated he’d been by her arrival and the revelation of her identity.
The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur.
“Where did she come from?”
Daniel sat there blinking at Robert for a moment or two. He
didn’t know where she lived. She’d told him. Where was she living a quiet life?
But not really. The coachman. Damn, damn, damn. Orkney? Wales? The Hebrides? If
he’d been alone he’d be pounding his fist to his forehead.
“The country,” Simon interjected smoothly. “She’s not used
to the rough ways of the city.”
“Yes, the country,” Daniel agreed. “Surrey!” he shouted
triumphantly. “She lives in Surrey.”
Simon sighed and gave him a disgusted look. “Yes, of course
she does.” He patted Daniel’s hand and turned to Robert. “You’ll have to
forgive him. He’s still recovering from a head wound.”
“I am?” Daniel asked incredulously.
“He is?” Robert asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “What
happened?”
“You are,” Simon said. “Carriage accident. That’s why he was
so overset at last night’s events.”
“Ah,” Robert said, giving Simon an understanding look. “That
explains why he didn’t jump on the carriage first.”
“I didn’t jump on the carriage because I was too slow, not
too scared,” Daniel protested. “And also because it was a foolhardy and
dangerous thing to do.”
Robert looked shocked. “But Mrs. Ashbury was in mortal
danger. A lady in her condition, and obviously so delicate and
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